Chiral Carbonaceous Nanotubes Modified with Titania Nanocrystals: Plasmon‐Free and Recyclable SERS Sensitivity

Abstract

Chiral carbonaceous nanotubes (CNT) were successfully used in plasmon-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for the first time. Further modification of TiO₂ nanocrystals on the chiral CNTs successfully realized the recycling of SERS substrate as chiral CNT/TiO₂ hybrids. The high SERS sensitivity of methylene blue (MB) over the chiral CNT/TiO₂ hybrids is ascribed to the laser-driven birefringence induced by the helical structure, which provides much more opportunities for the occurrence of Raman scattering. The TiO₂ nanocrystals highly dispersed on the surface and inside the hollow cavity of chiral CNTs can completely degrade the MB under the solar light irradiation, leading to the self-cleaning of SERS substrate. The present research opens a new way for the application of chiral inorganic materials in plasmon-free SERS detection.